Toy piano



1942- s. 1. BERGER 2,293,102

TOY PIANO Filed June 9, 1941 x Mir/111W g J/ m/ 2/ A x In!!!" 25 U I a as @155 22 ,/7 K

INVENTOR ORNEY Patented Aug. 18, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY PIANO Application June 9, 1941, Serial No. 397,192

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in toy pianos and more particularly to the provision of a novel sound chamber therefor including novel means for mounting the sound bar thereon.

An object of my invention is to provide novel means for mounting a plurality of sound bars, preferably arranged according to the musical scale, on a suitable plate in a manner which will enable the bars to have free vibratoiy movement upon being struck in the playing of the piano.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means for assembling the sound bars in a free floating manner which will provide for free movement thereof in a limited vertical range, while damping extreme movement to prevent metallic tone.

A further object of my invention is to provide a toy piano with novel means for mounting the sound vibrating members thereof on a tonal chamber to provide maximum tonal purity.

These and other advantageous objects are accomplished by the simple and practical construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is the top plan view of a toy piano sound chamber constructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional perspective View taken on line l4 of Fig. 1, with the sound bars removed for the sake of clarity, and

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on line i4 of Fig. 1, in the direction of the arrows.

As shown in the drawing, the sound chamber for toy pianos constructed in accordance with my invention is defined by a base plate It? which is provided with a plurality of spaced longitudinally disposed apertures ll, preferably struck out therefrom in spaced relation, said plate being further provided with a depending wall E2. The plate lo may be secured to the interior of the toy piano in any desired or convenient manner, for example by lugs i3 adapted to pass through and be clinched over vertical side walls of the piano and lugs M adapted to pass through and be clinched over the horizontal bottom plate or any desired registering portion represented fragmentarily at of the toy piano for similar purposes to define sound chamber SC (Fig. 4). A second plate 65, provided with longitudinal flanges iii defining the side walls thereof and terminating in horizontally disposed flange I? and Il" is adapted to be positioned on the plate lil with flange I? in registry with the wall [2 thereof, (see Fig. 4) by any suitable or convenient means, as for example, by soldering the plates together, or by providing them with complementary lugs and apertures, or by any other desired or convenient expedient for the purpose. The plate i5 is provided with spaced longitudinally disposed apertures i9 defined by cross bars 20 integrally connecting the flanged portions IQ of the plate l5 as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The plate 55 is further provided with posts 2i integrally struck up therefrom as indicated in Fig. 3, said posts being adapted to receive the sound bars or elements 22 by being passed through the apertures 23 therein and being clinched thereover as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

A cord like damping member 25 is wound around both sides of the posts 2i with the sound bars 22 positioned between the spaced parallel sections of the member 2?; on the posts 2! so that bars 22 may have free but limited or floating vertical movement. The apertures l9 of the plate l5 are disposed in registry with the apertures ll of the plate It when the parts are assembled as above described, the sound bars 22 being in registry with said apertures whereby the sound bars 22 may be struck by a hammer passing through the sound chamber and through the apertures H and 59 as indicated at H in Fig. 4, thus vibrating the sound bars responsive to the actuation of the hammers in the playing of the piano. The arrangement of the hammers within the piano may be of a construction and mounting found convenient 0r expedient, whereby, when the piano key is struck, the hammer will move upwardly as indicated at H in Fig. 4, to strike and vibrate the sound bar 22.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a toy piano, a base plate provided with a plurality of spaced, longitudinally disposed apertures, a second plate provided with longitudinal flanges defining the side walls thereof and provided with cross bars defining apertures therein aligned with the first mentioned apertures and integrally connecting the flanged portions thereof, said second plate being secured to the first-named plate with the apertures of said plates in spaced registry.

2. In a toy piano, a plate provided with longitudinal flanges and with cross bars integrally connecting the flanges thereof and defining spaced longitudinally disposed apertures, upstanding posts struck up from said plate, sound bars positioned on said posts, and damping members wound over and under the sound bars to define spaced parallel sections with the sound bars positioned therebetween for free but limited vertical movement.

3. A sound chamber for toy pianos comprising a plate provided with a depending wall and with a plurality of spaced longitudinally disposed apertures, and a second plate adapted to be disposed on the first mentioned plate in registry with the depending wall thereof, said second plate being provided with flanged portions and with cross bars integrally connecting the flanged portions thereof and defining spaced apertures in registry with the apertures of the first mentioned plate, and means carried by said second mentioned plate adapted to receive sound bar elements and to hold same in registry with said apertures.

4. In a toy piano, a plate provided with longitudinal flanges and with spaced longitudinally disposed apertures, sound bars secured to said plate in registry with said apertures and damping members wound over and under the sound bars to define spaced parallel sections with the sound bars therein positioned therebetween for free but limited vertical movement.

SAMUEL I. BERGER. 

